Can I blow my CPU by not using heat paste?

[jamescbritton]

My pc stopped working a few days ago so I swapped over parts which another idenitical spec PC that I built for a friend unfortunately they now both don't work!

The only logical reason I can think that my friends won't work is that I may have overheated the processor as the paste has hardened and may not have been in full contact with the CPU. Does anyone know whether I could fry the CPU due to poor contact with the paste? Also how likely is that?

thanks

 

[jamescbritton]

It's an AMD athlon barton 2.8 mhtz.

Is it possible then that the cpu could have blow the motherboard?

thanks